The New Water Paradigm by Paul Krafel

Climate change is complex because of all the interacting factors. One factor, dear to me, involves water cycles. Knowing it was dear to me, Joan Maloof, founder of Old-Growth Forest Network, (www.oldgrowthforest.net), sent me Water for the Recovery of the Climate – A New Water Paradigm.

Two quotes from its section on the new water paradigm:

In our opinion, among the biggest mistakes of the old paradigm is that water was perceived as an isolated entity, water’s interaction in the framework of the whole ecosystem being neglected, particularly water hidden from view (water in soil, in the atmosphere, in plants).

The drying and subsequent warming of the continents causes an acceleration of natural processes following a certain specific pattern and interdependence. The drying is caused by urbanization with its rapid sluicing away of rainwater to the seas and oceans, by agricultural activities and by the deforestation of ever larger areas of the Earth's surface. This drying creates "hot plates" with a complete chain reaction: the warming of continents, the destabilization of the water cycle and an increase in extreme weather. This is causing extensive damage to both economies and civilization.

A critical property of water is how much heat energy it has to absorb to warm up just one degree. It requires far more than most substances. If water is plentiful, most of the solar energy will go into warming water. But if people have reduced the presence of water (such as by paving and deforestation), then that energy will go into heating the land and air. The amount of heat that would heat water by one degree will heat the land and air by many more degrees, creating many of the problems of climate change. The pamphlet’s thesis is that solving the challenge of climate change must include working with water cycles to keep more water present in terrestrial systems.

You can find more information at https://roamingupward.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Water_for_the_Recovery_of_the_Climate_A_New_Water_Paradigm.pdf